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Marathon budget\ndebate this week

Posted: March 13, 2011 - 7:02pm

FROM THE HOUSE

It’s been a pretty tough week in Columbia. We were in pre-budget meetings, mostly in subcommittee, that were just as seemingly endless as they were crucial. When we are cutting, realigning and reorganizing the extent that current circumstances require, then we must exercise the greatest care with even the smallest detail of this budget. The good news is we have an approved budget, ready for an entire week of debate.

As always, I want to thank all of you who continue to call and e-mail with encouragement and reminders of what’s truly important. It certainly helps to keep me grounded and focused on the job at hand. I don’t know how many contacts we had last week because we were so attentive to the work we have yet to come up with a total, although it must be pretty close to a record.

The good people of Sun City deserve recognition for their unstinting contribution. These are not paid lobbyists or consultants, they are simply good folks who are politically active and interested in the betterment of the community at large. Thank you, friends.

One of the things that help to translate your good ideas into productive legislation is the fact that for the first time in 30 years, a Beaufort County legislator occupies a seat on Ways and Means. The significance of that historic honor is certainly not lost on your representative. It also makes each of our delegation members that much more effective as they have a clear pathway to the funding side of whatever legislation they are moving through their individual committees.

Obviously, since so much at the state level is being realigned and consolidated, it is more critical than ever that we have good communication with our municipal and county partners. In large part, what we do here will define their budgets in the short and long runs. Consequently, I have been in constant contact with Mayor Sulka in Bluffton, Mayor Laughlin in Hilton Head, and with my good friend Weston Newton, chairman of Beaufort County Council. I can’t say that all our conversations have been to their liking, but at the end of this process, we will all have budgets that will reflect the common reality we are facing.

The local AARP group paid us a visit and it was probably the most fun I had all week. Ann and Herbert Serowitz, Carie Amenkwah, Ira Kreschmer, Paul Russo and Portia and James Gilliard were in the Statehouse to express support for H.3332, the Driver’s Education bill for our elderly. It’s a good bill with much support in the House. I am fairly confident we can get it done.

Last week we also had the Leadership Hilton Head/Bluffton group up for a visit. These are folks that care deeply about their communities and have undertaken to learn how our civic process functions, with an eye (I hope) toward serving on boards and/or commissions and perhaps even pursuing elected office. We had a very pleasant and enjoyable dinner as well.

This week we begin a six-day, 9 a.m.-to-midnight marathon debate on our budget. We are charged with finishing this bear of a project, and that is what we’ll do. If your calls and e-mails don’t get answered immediately, please cut us some slack. We will get back to you. We always do.

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